John Kranick: The Essential Trout Fishing Guide

with prepared bait, wet flies, and even live bait during

the fall season. When trout fishing, think grasshopper

Trout prefer bank cover when it has a minimum

when autumn rolls around. Brown fish have a special of six inches of overhead shading and is a foot or taste for these guys. Just gather them in the early more in depth. The bank slows the current. And it morning. Of course, if you’re not into collecting them, also provides habitat that reminds the trout of artificial grasshoppers also work well. You may also boulders.

want to try night crawlers — especially if you plan on

fishing after a light rain has fallen.

Not only that, but obstacles such as brush, logs,

and tree rots extending outward from the bank make

BRRR! IT’S COLD OUTSIDE:

an area even more appealing to the trout.

WINTER TROUT FISHING

Of course, with such a diverse selection within a

cover, you may find it difficult to predict with any

Got cabin fever? Can’t stay in the house one more precision the location of the trout within the brush day? Then go trout fishing. Are you thinking I’m crazy? or a log pile. So don’t rush this process. Fish this I just may be. But if I’m crazy, then I’m crazy with a habitat very carefully. Before you surrender make sure stack of fish surrounding me.

you’ve tested all the nooks and crannies.

Yes, winter really is the most overlooked season

Aquatic vegetation.

Aquatic vegetation. It’s tough to fish here, yes I

for trout fishing. Of course, in this season, the best know. But if you can get the hang of it, this is one of time of the day is the warmest time — from 10 a.m. the most rewarding habitats you can find. It’s indeed, to 2 p.m.

very productive. For the most part, the main stream

current creates a tunnel of sorts through the

Try your hand at nymphs and wet flies. You may vegetation bed. You’ll notice that thin strands of plants especially find these effective as they imitate small, then spread out from the main portion of the plants.

freshwater shrimp. Most trout love this.

Of course, as you probably can guess these strands

When fishing in the winter, try spinner-baits as become quite a nuisance by ruining more than one well. They work well just below the open riffle reaches. bait and lure. But, you’ll find the trout are very often Your odds are also increased because many trout at the inside edge of the vegetation. This is the area are anxious. They haven’t seen a lure in months.

where the current slows some and provides the trout

with a nice and cozy “feeding station”.

COVER HABITATS OF

TROUT STREAMS

MAN-MADE HABITATS

The trout stream, by its very nature, is rife with

There’s no difference in your search for trout if

cover habitats that trout just love. And the trout could the cover is man-made. Bank hides, for example, built care less whether the habitat is natural or man-made. on the outside bends of streams may be the most The Secrets Professionals Refuse To Share29

THE ESSENTIAL TROUT FISHING GUIDE

problematic. But, don’t let that stop you. The effort some shores. It protects the nearby upland against you’ll be expending is well worth it in the long run. wave scour.

These types of structures offer the perfect hiding

You’ll find that trout treat this very much like a

place even for the largest of trout. The fish station pool habitat except the fish congregate a little closer themselves at the upstream portion of these structures. to the rock structure.

From here they capture food as it drifts along the

outer edge.

And when it comes to logs, the fish usually try to

hide themselves directly under the log if possible. In

For your purposes, you’ll want to drift your bait this way, they find they can easily ambush forage.

or lure into this area. Don’t be one of the many

unsuspecting — and I might add unprofitable — anglers GENERAL TIPS

who stand directly on the bank side itself. They fish

the water directly at their feet. Then they wonder

No matter what the body of the water is, some

why the trout just aren’t biting.

techniques just stay constant when it comes to trout

fishing. In typical waters, for example, trout can be

Keep in mind, as well, that these structures blend found throughout the hole. You have a chance at in well with the surrounding region. Your job — if catching them from the head, through to the deep you plan to be successful — is to concentrate on the water of the pool, right on up to the tail.

bank terrain as well as the stream itself.

Don’t overlook any of those areas. If you are fishing

DEEP POOLS AND RIFFLES

a stream thoroughly, then you just have to fish each

part of the hole.

If you can find deep pools interspersed with riffles,

then you’ve found some very good trout fishing. This

Now, this may sound as if you’re in this hole

combination gives the trout a good variety of hiding forever. That just isn’t the case. It really doesn’t take places. The riffle is a natural feeding site for small trout, a great deal of time to work all the holes. You can while the larger fish are very often in the pool itself.

usually judge whether you’ve discover a trout lair

within three casts. If after that third cast you’ve still

If you can, position yourself at the upstream end found nothing, move on.

of the pool as you’ll find the most trout there due to

the strong inflowing current. You’ll discover the trout HIDE AND SEEK:congregate near the bottom to forage for the drifting

food. At times, you may notice the fish move to the TROUT STYLE

lower end of the pool. This usually happens in the

late evening when there’s a heavy insect hatch.

And don’t forget, no matter the type of water,

trout love to play the game of hide and seek with

R

you. (Of course, to them, it’s a matter of life and

IP-RAP ARMORED BANK

death, so they’re motivated!) They’re notorious for

seeking out just about anything they can find to help

No it’s not some new armored guard company them hide. This includes logs, branches, bridge keeping the money in the local bank safe. A rip-rap abutments, rocks, undercut banks. Heck, they’ll even is a heavy stone facing found along the banks of use overhanging limbs when they have to.

30 The Secrets Professionals Refuse To Share

THE ESSENTIAL TROUT FISHING GUIDE

Spinners, then, to be able to tease these guys and have far to move in order to strike. You’ve heard of get at them, need to be fished across and along — meals on wheels. This is dinners on spinners!

mostly along, though! — all these places. This way

the trout has to make just that one quick motion to RISING WATER LEVELS

grab it before he has a chance to think twice about

it.

So just how do you fish when you’ve found that

the water levels have risen recently? If this is the

IF IT AIN’T BROKE . . .

condition, then knowing the water closest to the

surface moves that fastest helps you. Trout avoid swift